Neil Etheridge
Goalkeeper Neil Etheridge joined Rovers on loan from Fulham early in the 2012–13 season, initially on a one-month contract, but this was later extended to a three-month deal. Rovers already had 'keeper Sam Walker on loan from Chelsea due to a long-term injury to Scott Bevan, but he had conceded 19 goals during his eight games between the sticks and manager Mark McGhee felt the need to make a change. Neil had played 12 times in League Two before being recalled early from his loan by Fulham, who included him on their bench for a Premier League game against Chelsea a week later. Despite being born in London, Neil plays his international football for The Philippines, qualifying through his mother. He had previously represented England Schoolboys, but took the decision to switch allegiances early in his career. He went away on international duty once during his loan spell in Bristol, winning his 37th cap in a friendly against Kuwait. He went back down to 36 caps shortly afterwards however, when the result was expunged from FIFA records for administrative reasons – the game had not been sanctioned by the Asian Football Confederation. Career After starting out in the Chelsea youth system, he moved to the Fulham academy in 2006, turning professional two years later. Fulham were blessed with a surfeit of goalkeeping talent at this point however, and Neil found his first team opportunities extremely limited. He joined non-league side Leatherhead on loan for the duration of the 2008–09 season, making his first appearances in senior football with them. He was sent out again towards the end of the 2010–11 season, this time to Charlton Athletic, but was recalled by Fulham just six days later without having made a single appearance for them. At this point he still hadn't made his first team debut for The Cottagers, but his chance finally came when he played the full 90 minutes of Fulham's Europa Cup clash with Odense BK at Craven Cottage on 14 December 2011. This was his only game for Fulham by the time he joined Rovers in 2012. Career stats Record against Rovers Neil has never played a competitive first team match against Bristol Rovers. International career As of the end of November 2012, Neil has been capped 36 times by the Philippines. His first international appearance came in 2008, when he played in a AFC Challenge Cup qualifier against Brunei. Since then he has been a regular in the Azkals side, when games haven't clashed with his club commitments. International appearances All of Neil's full international caps are listed below. :N.B. Philippines score is always given first. (Sources: Azkals Football, FIFA.com, The Passionate Fan and the Asian Football Confederation, plus various news reports) He also played in a friendly against Kuwait on 16 October 2012, his first appearance for the Azkals after joining Bristol Rovers, but after losing the game 2–1 the result was wiped from the records when it was discovered that the game had not been sanctioned by the Asian Football Confederation per FIFA rules. Further reading *Neil Etheridge's journey from Manila to the Memorial Stadium (BBC Sport, 28 September 2012) Category:Players Category:Goalkeepers Category:Loaned players Category:Filipino internationals Category:7 February Category:Players born in 1990 Category:Players who joined in 2012 Category:Fulham Category:Leatherhead Category:Charlton Athletic